Cutter chain



April 1942- E. P. STENGER I 2,280502 CUTTER CHAIN Filed May 31, 1939 7 INVENTOR. z [aw/N 1? STA-"651E.

.l Aim including a bit carrfin 'links Psenied Apr. 21, 1942 ou'rrsa 0mm Edwin r. Stenger, Cincinnati, Ohio. assignor to Mine Maohin' The Cincinnati 7 Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Compa y.

Application May 31, 1939, Serial No. 276,516

2 Claims.

My invention relates to cutter chains for mining machines and particularly to the pintle means for fastening the same which joins the bit carrying link to the connecting links.

Inasmuch .as cutter chains of the above type are subject to very heavy-and rough wear, it has been found advisable to position the pintles in the side bars of the bit carrying link so that they will not revolve. It is also desirable to have these pintles so arranged as to be easily removable and insertable for repairs.

It is an object of my invention to provide a pintle positioned in the side bars of the bit carrying link which is not rotatable even under the heaviest kind of wear. 1

It is a further object of my invention to provide a pintle means which permit its easy inser-' tion into position under the most unfavorable conditions normally met with in a coal mine.

These and other objects-ofmy invention which will be set forth hereinafter or -will be apparent toone skilled in the art upon reading these speci- Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a side bar and connectln'g link showing other modified forms of my novel pintle.

Fig. 15 is a section on the line |i--|5 of Fig. 14.

, Briefiy, in the practice of my invention, I provide a pintle having a cross section defined by a portion of a circle and joined by a cord. The aligned apertures in the side bars for receiving the pintle 'are similarly configured so that the -pintle may not revolve. The pintle is so posltioned that the circular portion of the surface is positioned against the pull of the circular aperture .or journal in the connecting link; so

that all of the friction between the pintle surfaceand the bearing of the connector link is carried by the circular portion of the pintle.

It will be noted that when acutting chain" is being pulled in a straight line the arc of contact between the pintle and the circular aperture in the connecting link is 180 maximum. As the chain leaves a straight path and passes around fications, I accomplish by that certain construcnowdescribe an exemplary embodiment. Reference is now made to the drawingwhich forms a part thereof and in which:

. .tion and arrangement of parts of which I shall Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa cutter chain I g link and connecting Fig 2 is a perspective view of the pintle shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a side bar and'con- I necting link showing othermodifications of my novel pintle. I

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the pintle shown iliFIES. 8 and 9. 7

Fig. llis a perspective view of other. modifications of my novel pintle.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a side bar and connecting link showing the modified pintle of Fig. 11.

the sprocket,the connecting link rotates about the pintle, the amount of rotation depending on the number of teeth in the sprocket. With a' four tooth sprocket, which is the'smallest number of teeth ordinarily used for cutter chains, the arc of rotation is For sprockets with'more than four teeth, the arc of rotation would be less.

The active wearing or bearing surface of the pintle therefore extends through an arc of not more than plus 45", leaving an inactive surface on the ordinary round pintle of at least Itthen becomes clearv that this dormant surface need not be cylindrical and that it can be made otherwise to expedite locking of the pintle in the side bars or for preventing movement of the pintle along its longitudinal axis or both.

In order to prevent my pintle from sliding longitudinally out of the apertures in the side bars, I have shown numerous means such as rivets, etc. which will be described later.

Referring to the drawing, I provide the usual bit carrying link I having the side bars 2. Con- Fig. 13 is a section on the line l3-I3 of Fig. 12. 55

necting the bit carrying links of the cutter chain is the usual connecting link I which has a circular bearing as is well known in the art. My

pintle 4 consists of a circular rod with a 'fiattened portion or cord 5. Running longitudinally through the face of flattened portion 5 of the pintle 4, is a channel 6.

The configuration of the aperture 1 in the side plate 2 is similar to the outline of the cross section of the pintle l and comprises a circular aperture with a filled in portion 8 which-abuts the flattened portion of the pintle when it is in lace. The filled in portion 8 has a groove whi ch completes the groove 6 of the pintle 4 and forms a circular aperture when the pintle sition. When the pintle 4 has been placed t hi' og h the aligned apertures of the side bars and the bearing of the connecting link as in Fig. 1, a long shanked rivet 9 having a head I is inserted in the grooves 6 of the pmtle and the complementary groove in the side bar 2. The opposite end I I of the rivet is then flattened out which thus holds the pintle 4 against longitudinal movement in the side bars. The end of the groove 6 in the pintle 4 is countersunk at 12 as is the complementary groove on side bar 2. This permits the head l0 and the flattened end ll of the rivet 9 to be countersunk flush with the end of the pintle 4 and the face of the side bar 2.

It is to be noted from the above that the shoulder 8 of the aperture in the side bar 2 contacting the face of the pintle 4 prevents the pintle 4 from rotating in relation to the side bar; while the rivet 9 prevents the pintle from any longitudinal movement.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have shown a modified form of pintle where, in place of the rivet 9 and the groove 6 in the pintle 4, I provide tapered hollow channels l3 running longitudinally through the pintle and tapered plugs M which are insertable in the channels l3. In this case, the pintle is split as at 15 and I preferably place a channel IS in one of the plugs H. In this case when it is necessary to remove thepintle the solid plug is first knocked out by inserting a pin through the aperture I6 so as to contact the inner end of the opposite plug. After this plug has once been removed then the plug having a channel l6 may be driven out from the other side by the use of a rod. In this modification as well as in the former modification, the pintle may be inserted from either side of the side bars and is self-aligning. In the present modification, the pintle is inserted and the plugs l4 then hammered into the channels l3. Due

to the tapering of the channels 13 and the splits IS, the plugs l4 spread apart the ends of the pintle and wedge them against the aperture in the side bars 2. In this modification while the shoulder 8 on the side bar prevents the revolving of the pintle the wedge of the pintle itself against the aperture in the side bar prevents any longitudinal movement of the pintle.

A further modification is shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. In this case the pintle 4 has a flange or head 20 at one end withflattened portions 2| at the other end. The shank of the pintle is circular while a ridge 22 is formed in the end of the pintle opposite the head 20. In this case the pintle is insertable from only one side of the side bars since one of the apertures in one side bar is circular to receive the shank of the pintle and the head 20 while the opposite side has the configuration including shoulders 24 to contact the fiat portions 2|. After the pintle is inserted the ridges 22 are flattened over and thus the pintle is held against longitudinal movement by the flange 2| and flattened portions 22 while the pintle is held against rotation by the flattened portions 2| abutting the shoulders 24.

In Figs. 11, 12 and 13, a modification of my pintle is shown. In this case the pintle has a flattened face 26 while the side bars have apertures defined by a portion of a circle joined with a cord. The pintle has a flange 21 on one end and. a ridge 2' which may be flattened on the other end. This pintle may be insterted from either side of the side bar and after insertion the portion 28 is flattened to prevent the pintle from longitudinal movement while the flattened portion 26 abutting the shoulder on'the side barprevents' the pintle from revolving.

In Figs. 14 and 15 another modified pintle is shown. This pintle is configured similar to the pintle in Fig. 2, but there are two apertures 29 in the pintle which receive the end of rivets 30. One of the rivets 30 has a projecting head which is no larger than the shank of the rivet until it is flattened, In this case the pintle may be inserted from either side of the side bars and the rivet head 3| flattened to prevent longitudinal movement of the pintle.

In all of the above pintles where there are flanges or heads or portions which are flattened to form heads, there is preferably a countersink or recessed portion in the side of the side bars so that the end of the pintle in all cases is flush with the outside surfaces of the side bars.

From the above it is apparent that I have provided a pintle which may be readily removed and inserted in a cutter chain under the most unfavorable conditions but which when once inserted will not slide out nor revolve and which will consequently promote long chain life and eificient performance.

It is to be understood that modificationmay be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof and I do not intend to limit myself otherwise than as pointed out in the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a bit carrying link of a mining machine cutter chain, and a connecting link, one of said links having spaced side bars permanently held in position between which the other link is introduced, said other link having a circular aperture, and a pintle mounted in opposite apertures in the side bars and passing through said circular, aperture in the other link. said pintle having a flattened portion, and at least one of the side bars having an aperture for the pintle end which includes a shoulder to engage the flattened portion, thereby preventing the pintle from rotation, said pintle being longitudinally slidable through at least two of said apertures when links are in position for assembling, and means for securing the pintle against endwise movement comprising means engaging the pintle ends but not projecting longitudinally therefrom and passing through a channel in at least one of the side bars.

2. In combination with a bit carrying link of a mining machine cutter chain, and a connecting link, one of said links having spaced side bars permanently held in position between which the other link is introduced, said other link having a circular aperture, and a pintle mounted in the side bars and passing through said circular aperture, said pintle having a flattened portion, and at least one of the side bars having an aperture for the pintle end which includes a shoulder to engage the flattened portion, thereby preventing the pintle from rotation, said pintle being longitudinally slidable through at least two of said apertures when the links are in position for assembling, and means for securing the pintle against endwise movement comprising a rivet, and passageways in the pintle and in the shoulder in the side bar for the said rivet.

EDWIN P. S'I'ENGER. 

